"Are you ready for the playoffs?" - Billionaire hedge fund manager and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen fires up fan base as club prepares to battle San Diego Padres in Wild Card game 

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen sent out a rallying cry to the fanbase as they prepare to take on the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card series.

The Mets face the Padres on Friday at Citi Field in the first game of a best-of-three series. Ahead of this, owner Steve Cohen tried to rile up the Mets fans' on Twitter saying:

"Fans, Are you ready for the playoffs?"

The team had to settle for a spot in the Wild Card Series after a disastrous sweep against the Atlanta Braves, who claimed the National League East title despite both teams winning the same number of games. The winner of this matchup will advance to the National League Division Series to face division champions Los Angeles Dodgers.

In September 2020, Cohen reached a deal to buy the Mets franchise for a reported value of $2.42 billion. Since then, he has made major changes to the team, including replacing Luis Rojas with Buck Showalter in a three-year, $11.25 million deal. In the two years, he has also built one of the most expensive rosters in the league with the aim of claiming their first World Series title since 1986.

How much is billionaire Steve Cohen worth?

The Mets owner has invested massively in the team this season, with pitchers Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom, having a price tag of well over $70 million this year. Cohen bought the Mets from previous owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz after taking a minority stake in the team in 2012. Cohen is the chairman, CEO, and president of Point72 Asset Management, a New York City-based hedge fund with $20 billion under its management.

Steve Cohen has invested huge money into the Mets since becoming owner of the franchise

The company was founded in 2014. Previously, he had founded S.A.C. Capital Advisors. This season, he has shown his ability to go big on players, handing them larger-than-life contracts. This has been very evident with Francisco Lindor's $341 million deal over 10 years, and Max Scherzer's three-year, $135 million deal, the largest in baseball history.

Now, with the Mets making it to the post-season, Steve Cohen will be hoping that his work in revamping the club pays off as they begin that quest against the Padres in a highly-anticipated clash.